In this article, the problem of choosing from a set of design alternatives based upon multiple, conflicting,
and uncertain criteria is investigated. The problem of selection over multiple attributes becomes harder
when risky alternatives exist. The overlap measure method developed in this article models two sources
of uncertainties – imprecise or risky attribute values provided to the decision maker and inabilities of the
decision-maker to specify an exact desirable attribute value. Effects of these uncertainties are mitigated
using the overlap measure metric. A subroutine to this method, called the robust alternative selection
method, ensures that the winning alternative is insensitive to changes in the relative importance of
the different design attributes. The overlap measure method can be used to model and handle various
sources of uncertainties and can be applied to any number of multiattribute decision-making methods.
In this article, it is applied to the hypothetical equivalents and inequivalents method, which is a
multiattribute selection method under certainty.